Power Wins Pole At Mid-Ohio

Will Power will start Sunday's IndyCar race from the pole. (INDYCAR/LAT USA)

Will Power recorded the quickest lap time of 1:05.6662 – only three-tenths of a second off the Indy car circuit record set by Dario Franchitti in 1999 and matched by Gil de Ferran in 2000 – on his final lap of the 10-minute session Firestone Fast Six session to win the pole for Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, enters the 85-lap race in third place in the championship standings – 25 points behind the front-running Ryan Hunter-Reay.

“I am so tired after this session I am shaking, this place is so physical,” Power said. “I really think my Verizon car is better on used tires – there is so much grip and the Verizon 12 Chevy has so much downforce around this place that it is so fun to drive, it is amazing. This session today is the hardest I have tried all year – I just kept pushing and pushing, I had to. It is the most that I have put into a lap. We needed that pole and it is so important to start up front to keep pushing, if we have a chance for the Championship.”

Dario Franchitti will join Power on the front row, while Simon Pagenaud and Alex Tagliani qualified third and fourth, respectively. Tagliani’s No. 98 Team Barracuda-BHA car will serve a 10-grid spot penalty for an unapproved engine change.

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Qualifying Saturday for the Honda Indy 200 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.258 mile(s) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with starting position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, time and speed in parentheses: